Fall Into Fitness

Pumpkins are out, boots are on, and leaves are changing colors — fall is here ladies and gents! Wave goodbye to the heat of summer and say hello to the crisp fall air and marathon season. Fall was made for runners so let me gush a little here.

Celebrate breast cancer awareness month – as you know this has a very special place in my heart as my mother-in-law battled breast cancer and my mothers was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. I love seeing my NFL players (Go Hawks!) in pink 😀 but plenty of towns have breast cancer races to raise money for research – it’s a great cause and we get to wear pink!

Hit the trails – fall is the most beautiful time to trail run because of the foliage. Once this government shutdown ends, do a search for your closest national park or park trail and hit the road. Hiking is great, but if you want to run the trail just be sure to watch your footing so you don’t sprain your ankle.

Dress in layers – you’ll still break a sweat while the sun is out…but as soon as it drops so does the temperature! I like to run in long sleeves that I can roll up and down or a light zip up jacket just in case. For those of your with races coming up, buy a cheap thrift shop jacket or robe (no…seriously…do it) to keep you warm until your race starts and just toss it aside. Most race pick up all of the extra gear and donate it to charity.

Remember the darkness – it’s going to get darker faster as the year goes on and runners need to prepare for that. Reflective clothing or running gear along with safety measures like a phone or emergencies or pepper spray (I always have mine!) can help. I also add a bike light to my bike in the fall/winter months because it is dark when I leave and dark when I head home at night.

Find your local turkey trot NOW – these have to be some of my favorite races to run and pretty much every city will have one. Max took third place in ours last year for his age group which was pretty near and they had pumpkin pie when you crossed the finish line. Plus, you get to feel less guilty about your delicious Thanksgiving dinner! Max and I will be running the Huffin’ for Pumpkin Pie 5k again. We love the group that puts it on and try to run their races when we are visiting family. The $22 is well worth the chipped timed race, closed course, tech-tee, pie at the end, and the chance of winning a medal!

Don’t forget to hydrate – just because you are not pouring out buckets of sweat thanks to 100 degree summers does not mean you don’t need to hydrate. Keep pounding back those daily 8+ ounces of water and carry water on yours longer runs. We are huge fans of Nuun, but go with what works for you! I would be happy to recommend flavors if you have any questions.

Flu season is near – Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! A good defense is the best offense, right? Get your annual flu shot, load up on vitamin c, wash your hands, and take precautions when around other sick-runners. But what about running WHEN you are sick? More to come on this particular topic in an upcoming post. Stay tuned!

End your race day with s’moresand a nice bath– because why not? My in-law’s have a great fire pit in their back yard and nothing beats sitting around a fire on a cool night eating oeyyyy goeyyyy s’mores after you have earned it with a great run.

Published by findingmystrong

Welcome to me site! My name is Laura and this is my journey to find "strong" (whatever that means to me). Add a little swim, a little bike, a little run and we will navigate this journey of health, workouts, and recovery together. Enjoy!
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